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8 Jan 2008 : Column 392W—continued
Telephone Services
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department has collected on the number of calls (a) received, (b) answered and (c) abandoned to phonelines operated by his Department and its agencies, broken down by subject matter of call. [173098]
Jonathan Shaw: Calls to RPA helplines can be split into two categories, single payment scheme (SPS) and animal traceability inquiries. They generally cover the following subject matter.
SPS—calls relating to farmers entitlement and claim for the scheme.
RLE—general advice on completing the RLE 1 form.
RLR—guidance on mapping queries.
Rural Stress—used by RPA staff and rural support groups when they want to make a referral.
Counterfraud—used by staff and public when they suspect that fraud is taking place.
BCMS helpdesk—English and Welsh calls relating to the cattle tracing system.
Livestock ID—inquiries about identification of sheep, pigs and goats.
ETAS—used by ear tag manufacturers to log details of all orders processed and despatched to keepers.
WFA—provides an integrated access point to DEFRA and related agencies with the aim of helping to take the paperwork out of farming.
TSE—registers on-farm dead animals to be collected from the farm, brain-stem sampled and disposed of at a registered disposal site.
NFSS—registers farmers as members onto the national fallen stock scheme.
Details of calls received, answered and abandoned are detailed as follows.
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether individuals on council tax benefit are expected to receive a full exemption from the proposed new charges for domestic rubbish collections. [176534]
Joan Ruddock: As stated in the Climate Change Bill, local authorities which pilot a waste incentive scheme must take account of disadvantaged groups.
It will be the responsibility of each local authority to decide whether individuals receiving council tax benefit (or any other groups) should be treated differently under a waste incentive scheme and, if so, how. My Department will work with stakeholders to develop guidance on this issue.
Wellbeing Indicators Group
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what work the Wellbeing Indicators Group has undertaken; [171358]
(2) whether the Wellbeing Indicators Group has (a) a business plan and (b) objectives; [171359]
(3) what the (a) titles and (b) qualifications are of the academics on the Wellbeing Indicators Group; [171360]
(4) what role the Wellbeing Indicators Group has in the formulation of Government policy; what cross-departmental representation the group has; and if he will make a statement; [171361]
(5) how many (a) staff and (b) members the Wellbeing Indicators Group has; [171362]
(6) what the budget of the Wellbeing Indicators Group has been in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [171363]
Mr. Woolas:
The Wellbeing Indicators Group has provided technical advice and co-ordination on the establishment of measures of wellbeing for inclusion in the UK Government's sustainable development indicators, as committed to in the UK Government's
Sustainable Development Strategy (2005) and in the UK Framework for Sustainable Development shared with the devolved Administrations.
The Wellbeing Indicators Group has agreed terms of reference.
Academic representatives on the Wellbeing Indicators Group are currently:
Tim Jackson—Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey; and also sits on the Sustainable Development Commission;
Paul Dolan—Professor of Economics at Imperial College, University of London;
Nic Marks MSc, MA—Founder of the Centre for Wellbeing at the New Economics Foundation.
The Wellbeing Indicators Group does not advise on policy formulation; its role is to advise on how well-being might be measured. Information on the use of indicators and concepts of well-being in policy can be found on the Government's Sustainable development website:
The following central Government Departments and administrations have been represented in the Wellbeing Indicators Group:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform;
Department for Children, Schools and Families;
Department for Communities and Local Government;
Department for Culture, Media and Sport;
Department for Health;
Home Office;
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills;
Department for Transport;
Department for Work and Pensions;
Office of National Statistics;
Scottish Government;
Welsh Assembly Government;
Northern Ireland Assembly.
DEFRA chairs and provides the secretariat for the Wellbeing Indicators Group, which principally involves two members of staff and accounts for only a small proportion of the time of each. There are around 25 individuals attending meetings or receiving papers.
The Wellbeing Indicators Group does not have its own budget allocation and cannot incur expenditure. The group's inception was in December 2006 and it has met five times.
Whales: Japan
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last met the Japanese ambassador to discuss the Japanese whaling fleet's intention to kill 935 minke whales, 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales. [175264]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 18 December 2007]: I will shortly meet Japanese embassy officials to express the UK's outrage over Japan's plans to kill endangered whales in the Antarctic. I have had no recent discussions with the Japanese ambassador on this issue.
The UK has consistently criticised Japan for her lethal whaling operations that are authorised under
special permits (so called “scientific” whaling) and urged Japan to end its scientific whaling activities.
We are considering a high level diplomatic protest to the Japanese Government, following consultation with like-minded anti-whaling countries.
Whales: Romania
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has had discussions with the Romanian Prime Minister on Romania's possible membership of the International Whaling Commission; and if he will make a statement. [175297]
Jonathan Shaw: There have been no recent discussions with the Romanian Prime Minster on this issue. British embassies abroad will shortly deliver an updated version of the UK publication ‘Protecting Whales—A Global Responsibility’, endorsed by the Prime Minister and Sir David Attenborough, to all EU countries, which are not current members of the International Whaling Commission. This is to encourage them to join the effort to protect all cetacean species.
UK embassies and Ministers across Government will continue to lobby nations on this issue in the run-up to the next annual meeting of the IWC in Chile in June 2008.
Wind Power: Planning
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what responsibility the proposed Marine Management Organisation will have over planning consents for offshore wind turbines; and if he will make a statement. [174149]
Jonathan Shaw: The proposed Marine Management Organisation (MMO) would make development consent decisions, where the UK Government have responsibility, for offshore renewable energy projects capable of generating 100 megawatts or less of power.
The proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) would determine applications for development consent for offshore renewable energy projects capable of generating more than 100 megawatts of power. The MMO will advise the IPC on these projects, including on conditions on developments, and will also monitor and enforce compliance.
Wind Power: Seas and Oceans
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision for wind farms he expects will be made in the draft Marine Bill; and if he will make a statement. [174150]
Jonathan Shaw: The draft Marine Bill will make specific provisions to streamline marine consents for renewable energy as set out in the Marine Bill White Paper. It will also provide a framework that will allow translation of Government policies and priorities, including, for instance, those on climate change and renewable energy generation, into decisions on marine development and protection.
Children, Schools and Families
Adoption
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many adoptions took place in each year since 1997. [174304]
Kevin Brennan: Statistical information on the total number of adoptions in England and Wales by age of child for the years 1995 to 2005 is included in Table 6.2b in the Statistics Series “Marriage, divorce and adoptions”, Volume FM2, published by the Office for National Statistics. A copy of this publication is available on the National Statistics website at:
The number of children entered into the Adopted Children Register following court orders made in 2006, and other relevant statistics was published on 8 November 2007 by ONS at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=592&;Pos=1&ColRank=1&Rank=358.
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